A group of fishers has been left stunned by the unusual emergence of a whale between the rock walls at Mooloolaba.
Vessel owner and helmsman Tim Whybrow was taking some friends to sea when the creature – suspected to be a juvenile humpback up to 6m – swam underneath and alongside them.
“When it went under the boat I got very nervous, but as soon as it popped up next to the boat I had crystal clear vision of it,” he said.
“I was gobsmacked. It was a very incredible experience.
“We were blessed to have such a beautiful encounter.”
The scene, filmed by Kendall Aalbregt, quickly became a highlight on social media platforms of Tascast Fishing, which is Mr Whybrow’s fishing and boating venture.
The incident occurred within the narrow Mooloolah River mouth, which is also the entrance to the Mooloolaba Marina.
The boat was on its way out and the whale was on its way in, on an incoming tide at about midday.
Mr Whybrow said there was little he could do to avoid the situation.
“I’ve spent up to 900 hours on the water during the last two years and have never encountered a whale that close, especially in such a confined area,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure what it was going to do, and I was thinking about the legalities.
“All I could do was keep my line and just observe what the whale was doing.
“We’ve had some backlash from people not understanding that we couldn’t maintain typical safe distances.
“We are aware of how far you can be from a whale (but) the barway is only about 40m wide so there was no avoiding it.
“Once it swum under the boat, the motor was cut, which you generally shouldn’t do in a barway, but we could do it safely, and we exited the area of the whale under six knots, which is the legal speed to exit a whale zone.
“So, it was just a very lucky encounter.”
He said the whale soon turned around and returned to sea.
“I don’t think it would have felt very comfortable going up the river much further,” he said.
“It just gets shallower.”
He was unsure why the whale was there.
“Is it sick or is it something to do with the water quality or was it just curious?” he said.
“It certainly gets the conversation flowing, about whether environmental impacts are at play.
“I’d say it was old enough to be on its own but who knows?
“You hear of whales getting lost and bad things happening to them, but in this case, I think it was curious.”
University of the Sunshine Coast behavioural ecologist and geneticist Dr Alexis Levengood said the whale’s behaviour was unusual.
“It’s not something we typically see around here but it can happen,” she said.
“Humpback whales have been observed in canals, marinas, and harbours before.
“We can’t know for sure why this happened but it’s likely the whale got disoriented during its migration and came in closer than it needed to.
“Humpback whales are normally very good navigators using temperature changes, currents, and geomagnetic cues to help them navigate, but getting disoriented is always possible.
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“Once it realised it wasn’t where it should be, it likely turned around out of the river mouth and headed back out off the coast to continue moving north along the migration route.
“The river would have been getting less saline and quite narrow the more the whale moved up it, which likely signalled to the whale that it wasn’t where it should be.”
She said it was probably a juvenile.
“Adults can range up to 14m to 18m in length generally,” she said.
“(It’s young age) could further the chance of disorientation, being a less experienced animal.”
She said it would have been an amazing experience for those on board the boat.
“It’s exciting to see a whale up that close but also important for everyone to remember these are wild animals and it is best to keep a safe distance,” she said.
“In Queensland, boats must remain a minimum 100m away from a whale and the caution zone, a slow zone, extends to 300m away. The front and back of a whale are no approach zones.
“Obviously, in the mouth of the river this is difficult to maintain but turning off your engine and giving the whale safe space to travel is important to protect all parties involved.”
For Mr Whybrow, the experience was one to remember after recently relocating to Mooloolaba from Tasmania.
He creates content that teaches people how to fish sustainably. His popular Tascast Fishing social media platforms on YouTube and Instagram showcase adventures and provide tips for fishing and boating.
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